


A Betrayal Most Sweet

by TimMcGee



Series: Culinary Adventures [1]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Allergies, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimMcGee/pseuds/TimMcGee
Summary: “How do you not have scurvy?”“We had apples! And those yellow ones were real easy to nick from Upper London kitchens.”“Yellow ones…. Sasha, do you mean lemons??”Hamid continues Sasha's culinary journey and Zolf rightful worries.
Relationships: Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Sasha Racket, Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Sasha Racket & Zolf Smith, Sasha Racket & Zolf Smith
Series: Culinary Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852498
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	A Betrayal Most Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the morning they leave for Paris.
> 
> Using the American version of 'quite'.
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful editor :D

Sunlight filters through the closed curtains steadily bathing the lavish room with more and more light as the morning continues on. As the room brightens, Hamid tries to curl tighter underneath the blankets to block it out before throwing off in a groan of frustration and annoyance. 

Starfished out, Hamid idly traces the rainbow patterns created by the light hitting the crystal chandelier above as he tries to work up the motivation to get up and start yet another day of adventuring. 

Finally glancing over at the quietly ticking clock, Hamid feels a flash of surprise at the late hour of the morning as normally Zolf starts to get annoyed the longer they sleep past 8 and it’s currently approaching 10. Hamid tries to listen for the sounds of Zolf pacing or maybe conversation between him and Sasha, but all Hamid can pick up is Bertie’s snoring.

Hamid slowly sits up and stretches while he considers if he has enough time to actually take his time getting ready this morning. Slipping off the bed and padding towards the door, Hamid carefully opens it and pokes his head out to hear better.

After a moment, he can just pick up the sounds of someone rustling a newspaper before a quiet clink of a cup hitting a saucer. Taking advantage of this low-stress morning, Hamid eagerly heads to the ensuite, ready to pamper himself.

Hamid nearly waltzes into the living room almost an hour later as the success of nailing his eyeliner along with the happiness of being able to actually apply one of his more elaborate makeup looks puts an extra pep in his step.

“Good morning, Sasha! Zolf!”

“Mornin’, H’mid,” Sasha says as she looks up from her collection of knives spread out on the table. Zolf looks up from his book, glances at the clock before looking at Hamid with a raised eyebrow, “I guess it still  _ is _ morning, then. Any idea if Bertie is moving yet?”

Hamid responds with a distracted hum as his attention is drawn to the box of pastries and he begins debating which ones he’s going to eat first. 

“Hamid-”

“Hmm? Oh! Yes, I heard him talking to Brutor,” Hamid makes his selection and sinks into the armchair opposite Sasha, “Is there any tea?”

“Sorry, H’mid. I just got the pastries and Zolf ordered coffee ages ago,” Sasha awkwardly grimaces at Hamid even as he lights up after taking the first bite into the delicious cinnamon pastry. Chewing quickly and carefully brushing away crumbs before waving away Sasha’s apology.

“That’s alright, Sasha, I was going to order some brunch from room service anyways. Also, these are  _ delicious _ , where did you find them?”

“Oh, right, so like I was talking to the gargoyle’s over there, and like they told me that Fred, he lives across town and likes to roam, so they said Fred says that there’s a place by the Library, which apparently doesn’t let you take food inside, that opens early in the morning and like has a lot of workers quickly filter in and out carrying pastries and drinks. So I figured I check it out cause like, ya know, the kitchen here was already busy and I always wanted to try some of those treats and-” 

“Yeah, Sasha came back with a box and we’ve just been waiting for you and Bertie to get so we can go to Paris,” Zolf quickly injects to break Sasha’s rambling with an apologetic look before turning back to Hamid, “You mean an early lunch, not brunch.”

“Nooo, I mean brunch!”

“Hamid, it’s nearly noon. It’s an early lunch.”

Both Hamid and Zolf turn away from each other to roll their eyes before Hamid asks them if they want anything as he goes to ring room service. 

Hamid throws Zolf a smug look as the servant announces that he has their brunch order and Hamid goes to let him in. Soon the dining table is covered with various dishes and trays with Sasha perking up at more new options and Zolf huffing at the frivolousness of that much food.

Humming in delight at the sight of the yolk oozing out from where he sliced into his egg benedict, Hamid indulges in yet another fine, abundant meal. Sasha slips in a chair with a sampling of nearly every dish on her plate while Zolf fills his plate with a small helping of the few lunch items.

Silence comfortably falls over the dining room as they settle into their meals and Zolf passes out the newspapers that were also brought up. Reaching the point of being comfortably full, Hamid sets aside some of the heavier dishes and grabs one of the parfaits and a banana from the fruit bowl.

“‘Ey, H’mid. What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“That yellow thing in your hand. Like I’ve seen it before, but like, I thought it was decoration the rich people ‘ad in their kitchens.”

“What? No! It’s a- What?! It’s a fruit, Sasha! Ok, we’re doing a taste test with the fruits here,” Hamid quickly begins filling an empty plate with portions of the available fruit, ignoring Zolf’s and Sasha’s hushed side conversation.

_ “How do you not have scurvy?” _

_ “We had apples! And those yellow ones were real easy to nick from Upper London kitchens.” _

_ “Yellow ones…. Sasha, do you mean lemons??” _

“Ok! Sasha! Why don’t you just try them like this and then when we get to Paris, we can try your favorites in actual dishes,” Hamid pushes the full and artfully arranged plate in front of her with an excited gleam in his eyes. 

Starting with berries, Sasha happily eats most of them with little issue except for blackberries as she was disappointed they weren’t as sweet as raspberries. Zolf and Hamid trade amused looks at the peculiar expression on Sasha’s face when she feels the slightly fuzzy texture of the peach skin mixing with the sweetness.

Moving onto pineapple, Sasha delights in the slightly biting, burning sensation she gets as her chapped lips get covered in juice. As Sasha munches on some apple slices while watching Hamid quickly slice up a banana, she feels almost too full and looking at the happy faces of her friends, feels content for the first time.

As Hamid slides the plate with the sliced banana over to her, Bertie and Brutor come out of their room and demand everyone’s attention by loudly whining over the breakfast selection. It takes an icy glare from Zolf and all of Hamid’s smooth-talking to convince Bertie that the fine dining breakfast he wants would probably be found at a restaurant nearby.

“Seriously, Hamid, how did you become friends with him?” Zolf rhetorically asks as Hamid groans and slumps in his seat while Sasha awkwardly pats his shoulder, still munching on the last of the apple slices.

Stilted silence fills the dining room as Hamid fiddles with a napkin and Zolf tries to think of a way to break the silence, “So, ah, right then. Um, Sasha! What did you think of the fruit?”

“Oh yeah, they were like real good, but like definitely the pineapple? Yes, the pineapple was really good even though it doesn’t look like any ‘pple I’ve seen. Not even the ones, Farmer Phil, we called ‘im Farmer Phil ‘cause he liked to try an’ grow things but like they always ended up lookin’ real weird-”

“Oh! I’m so glad you liked them, Sasha. I’m quite partial to bananas as there’s a small grove of them at my home in Cairo that one of our gardeners managed to grow,” Hamid smiles wistfully out the window as he continues, “It was always a special treat when our cook added it to  _ feteer.  _ Oh, I would just cover it in so much honey that Aziza and I would squabble over who got the jar first.”

“That so good, H’mid. Though I don’t know how you like the weird after taste bananas have.”

“What?-”

“There’s-There’s no after taste, Sasha. That probably just the weird taste of it being slightly unripe.”

“Nah, it’s like the pineapple, but like sticks to your tongue more,” Sasha gestures to her mouth as Hamid and Zolf trade concerned looks. She continues describing, seeing that she must’ve not explained it well enough yet, “Yeah, so like the pine’pple has like a nice tingly feeling that goes away once you eat somethin’ else, but like, the banana like sticks around and like, actually feels like itchy?”

“No????” Hamid’s voice almost breaks from the concern and confusion as Zolf stutters before exclaiming so loudly that Sasha flinches into herself, “NO!! Sorry, Sasha, I didn’t- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, but bananas don’t do  _ that _ . I think you’re allergic to them.”

“What? No, allergies like make you all puffy and like non-breathey.”

“Not all of them, just the real bad ones, but,” sighing Zolf rubs his hands against his face as he tries to figure out how to explain, “Ok, so allergies can range from like mild reactions to extreme ones, and what’s concernin’ about yours is that it makes your mouth….itch?”

“And numb, like-”

“Numb? WHY didn’t you?!- Psssssssh- Ok, Sasha, I think need to a medicine check-”

“What? WHy?! I was fine a moment ago!”

“That’s cause I didn’t know your mouth is numb!”

“I’m fine! It’s mostly gone away!” Sasha carefully moves in the chair as she watches Zolf stand. Zolf pauses at her sudden guardedness and tries to calm his building panic.

“Please, Sasha. It’ll just be a quick check to make sure it’s not getting worse. Please?” Looking between an increasingly fretful Hamid and a calmer Zolf, Sasha nods but discreetly palms one of her knives.

Zolf tries to calmly approach Sasha, ignoring how tense her shoulders get and the way her hands slip into her pockets, instead trying to focus on her face. Seeing no immediate puffiness or swelling, Zolf slowly has Sasha go through his check, fully relaxing when they’re done.

“Alright, Sasha, looks like you are just allergic to them.”

“Fine.”

“Oh, Sasha! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine, H’mid. It’s not like you could’ve known,” Sasha awkwardly shrugs, the uncomfortable weight of concern from her friends becoming too much, “Zolf, so like what, I can’t eat them ever again?”

“I mean-”

“Of course not!” 

“Hamid. Look, Sasha, it’s a concerning reaction for sure and I don’t-we don’t know if it’ll get worse the more you eat, so…...yeah probably shouldn’t eat them again,” Zolf grimaces in an attempt to give a comforting smile, which Sasha loosens up at. With one last worried look at Sasha, Hamid tries to stealthily move the other bananas out of sight and tries to get the conversation back on a different track.

“So, um, Zolf. What did-what was that newspaper you were reading earlier? Anything interesting?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all kudos and comments!
> 
> This is 100% based on how I discovered that I'm actually allergic to bananas after eating them for most of my life. Same with the brunch argument is something I regularly have with my friend/editor.


End file.
